Juneteenth Celebration

Juneteenth_Banner 2023

Overview

Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to take control of the state and ensure that all 250,000 enslaved people were freed. It came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Honoring Juneteenth is more complicated than just recognizing the emancipation of enslaved people in our country. It is a day that focuses on fighting racism here and abroad that prevents equity, creates disproportionate suffering, and harms Black adults and children across the globe.

It was the emancipation of enslaved people in the US that allowed this country to turn the page from its most heinous past and chart a more prosperous future. Although it is a celebration, it also signifies our obligation to continue to be advocates for truth and freedom in our communities and throughout the world.

Juneteenth-image-optimizedMore than 17,000 people joined to celebrate Juneteenth at the 2023 Juneteenth Jubilee, Family Reunion. Planning has begun for 2024. The celebration will be held on Saturday, June 22, 2024 at Allen Pond Park. Please contact Lori Cunningham via email or 301-832-7451 if you are interested in sponsorship, providing entertainment, or being a vendor.  

Links to other Juneteenth videos:

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Resources

Juneteenth Worldwide Celebration

Honoring Juneteenth Through Art in Galveston, Texas - The New York Times (nytimes.com) The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth | National Museum of African American History and Culture (si.edu)

Freedmen’s Bureau Transportation Records: Letters of “Sold” Former Slaves Seeking to Rejoin Loved Ones by Damani Davis, Reference Archivist at the National Archives in Washington, DC. From Rediscovering Black History, the National Archives blog of the Black History Guide, sharing records relating to the Black Experience at the National Archives.

Video: Genealogy and the “Freedman’s Bank:” Records of the Freedman’s Savings & Trust Company by Damani Davis, Reference Archivist at the National Archives in Washington, DC. Handout online. 

Video: Freedman's Bank 150th Anniversary Celebration

The Freedmen’s Bureau Preservation Project, by (retired) archivist Reginald Washington, Prologue Magazine

Sealing the Sacred Bonds of Holy Matrimony, Freedmen's Bureau Marriage Records, by (retired) archivist Reginald Washington, Prologue Magazine  

National Archives Safeguards Original ‘Juneteenth’ General Order, National Archives News

The Freedmen's Bureau records at the National Archives

Video: Let No Man Put Asunder: Freedmen's Bureau Marriage Records, by (retired) archivist Reginald Washington

Online resources: African American History National Archives News special topics page

Records of the Freedmen’s Bureau and the Reconstruction of Black Families, Rediscovering Black History, by Bob Nowatzki, Archives Technician, National Archives in College Park, MD.

Links to Freedmen's Bureau Resources

Select Images from the Freedmen's Bureau

The Rost Home Colony, St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, Prologue

From Slave Women to Free Women: The National Archives and Black Women's History in the Civil War Era, Prologue

Slave Emancipation Through the Prism of Archives Records, Prologue

The Freedman's Savings and Trust Company and African American Genealogical Research, by Reginald Washington, Prologue